The present invention relates to the field of insulating parts for electronic devices, and in particular to an insulating part having an improved element for transferring heat to a cooling element. Such insulating parts are commonly injection-molded from plastic as a single-piece, and generally have at least one metallized outer surface acting as a cooling surface and printed conductors arranged on the insulating part for electroconductively connecting various electronic components. An insulating part of this type is disclosed, for example, by European Patent EP-0 465 693 A1. Parts of this type have a variety of applications; for instance, the insulating part may be used as a rear panel for a housing of a programmable controller, such as in the "SIMATIC S5-95 U" manufactured by "SIEMENS AG."
It is well-known in the art of electronics to use an outer surface of a device as a cooling surface for the electronic components of the device. Manufacturing and design constraints often dictate that such a cooling surface be located at a distance from the electronic components to be cooled. Such a remote arrangement, however, makes it difficult to ensure that the electronic components will be effectively cooled.
One approach to the problem created by distancing the cooling surface from the components to be cooled is to provide an integral heat sink proximate to the components and thermally coupled to the cooling surface. Such an approach is disclosed in the U.S. patent application titled "Insulating Part with Integral Cooling Element," filed by the same inventors and on the same day as the present application, the specification of which is incorporated by reference into the present application. Another approach, which may be applied separately or in conjunction with the approach of the incorporated application, is provided by the insulating part of the present invention.